Can you guess which nipples are allowed to be seen in public, posted on facebook, and are socially acceptable? Which nipples are to be feared and reviled? Which nipples should be jailed and punished by law? You be the judge! (All photos are from Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise noted).

Here we go! First, let’s warm up with some very SFW (Safe For Work) pics of human mammals:

This is a woman from Afghanistan. Is this obscene?

This is a Victorian woman and man. Is this obscene?

This is a statue. Is this obscene?

Here is a painting of me by Elaine Swanger. Is this obscene? If I want to post it on facebook, do I need to crop the bottom?

This is a baby. Never mind the shoes. Is this obscene?

Here are some indigenous women. Is this obscene?

How about non-human mammals? Here is a female dog. Is this obscene?

Here is a cow. Is this obscene?

Back to people. Here is a man on the beach. Is this obscene?

Here is a woman’s back. Is this obscene? What if she turns around?

Here is a woman who has had one breast surgically removed. Is this partially obscene, or completely obscene?

Here is a breastfeeding baby. Is this obscene?

Here is Buck Angel, a man who was born a woman. (Photo from Buck Angel Entertainment). Is this obscene?

Here is a Burning Man with a hairy chest. Is this obscene?

Here is a Burning woman. Is this obscene?

Here is a male biker. Is this obscene?

Here is a woman doing a backbend. Is this obscene?

Here is a woman wearing pasties. Is this obscene?

Here are Before & After photos of David Wraith (provided by David Wraith). Is this obscene?

Here is a pic of me (photo by David Wraith). Is this obscene? I posted a cropped version on facebook, but David could post the photos above without a problem.

Be sure to check out my feature on Phoenix Feeley, a woman who won a boob-related lawsuit in New York but is currently fighting for Topless Equality in New Jersey. Same woman, different states, different rules. Why are female breasts so feared? I ask her that and more, so stay tuned and stay topless!

NONE of them. It is all so asinine. I posted a beautiful photograph of my toddler that showed considerably less than any of this, nothing in fact, and was screamed at by a crowd of thousands to remove it because it **might** be construed as “obscene.” It is one of the weirdest episodes of my life and a year and a half later I’m not over it.

I agree that none of these images are obscene. I also think that someone could say that they are all obscene. It’s a matter of perspective. And it’s an unfortunate fact that the majority of America (I was going to say the Western world, but really it’s just conservative Americans who have this problem), and especially those who say what is and what isn’t obscene are conservative, patriarchal , and intolerant of others’ beliefs and opinions.

I have a liberal arts education and an MA in Art History, so the majority of these images don’t bother me. I also grew up in an extremely conservative Catholic home (my mother listens to Rush Limbaugh religiously, ugh), and it’s really hard to throw off some of those “nurtured” traits that my conservative parents drilled into me. The image that bothers me on a personal level is the one of the woman in the pasties. Not because she’s wearing pasties, but because of her attitude in the picture (to me it oozes insincerity). This is my personal opinion, this bothers me, emphasis on “ME”. I respect her personal right to post something like this, and I also have the sense to not look at things that bother me. Unfortunately, the majority of people don’t have that amount of common sense, or respect for others.

Though this doesn’t mean that things can’t change. A century ago it was deemed obscene to show too much ankle or wrist, so what’s to say that a century from now it might be possible for every woman in the nation to go legally topless.

Also, thanks for posting this. I’ve been wrestling pretty hard with whether to post some of my nude photos on my blog. Because on the one hand, they’re nude, on the other hand, they’re awesome, and in my invisible third hand, I don’t want to lose my job, and in my invisible fourth hand? My desire to buck society and do what I want.

Since, you know, nudity isn’t wrong, unethical, or obscene in any way whatsoever.

Kendra, talk to the folks at gotopless.org. Their web site does not mention St. Louis, and it should, I think. The primary purpose of any demonstration is to generate publicity; the demonstration is useless without it.

I just like this series of photos. I think breastfeeding pictures are absolutely beautiful. I can’t even think what I find to actually be obscene anymore. I still find some things revolting, but not so much obscene.

I only found one picture fitting the definition of obscene: The women from Afghanistan in her burqa; I personally find that one offensive to morality or decency, since nowhere in the world should a women feel the need to, or worse, be forced to wear such an abomination. Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite from what the burqa is intended for.

Just came across this post and I love it. I have no problem with any of these photos and I think it’s a great post for demonstrating what obscenity means in society, what it should mean and why. Love it!

My toddler has a 3rd nipple, should I be preparing her for wearing a pastie over it when she is old enough for a bikini? Or does it not count because it is more like a birth mark and not in the usual place for a human nipple?

In my beach town, Santa Cruz, CA, if you are in line for a movie and the guy in front of you is smoking, and the gal behind you is topless, and the cops are coming to arrest somebody–who? The smoker of course. We passed a law in this town to prohibit smoking in line for a movie. But the Naked Man of Berkeley, RIP, came here to get arrested and couldn’t. Biker dudes with helmets (on heads) have ridden through here naked trying to get arrested. No luck. You can’t be lewd in our town but nude is fine. Come on down. You look beautiful.

There is nothing obsene with your photos. The biggest problems are all these “do gooders” with there head stuck up there arses! The thing is these law makers who ban these things what is there adgender in there heads. I live in europa and here is not so up tight about alot of things as in the us. Keep up you great fight to try and get folks to enjoy there and others bodys.